Hotels were too expensive so I ended up booking my accommodations in Fortaleza through airbnb for an apartment rental. However, nearly all the postings on airbnb have no reviews so it's difficult to tell whether you can trust them or not. I am giving it the benefit of the doubt and am trusting the owner that I booked with. What also helped me make my decision to book is that it seems airbnb has a refund/insurance policy whereby if the place isn't as advertised or say you show up and the place doesn't exist or the owner screws you somehow, then you can call into airbnb and get your money back as long as you call within 24 hours after the 1st day of the booking. Apparently, the money is held in escrow by airbnb and the owner does not receive the funds until 24 hours following your first day. This was very important in giving me more confidence in booking.
Yeah I booked our apartment through airbnb. Our apartment has a few reviews which was reassuring, and I'm quite comfortable with airbnb's policies regarding cancellations/refunds.
Hi Charles, I've booked accommodations around the world through airbnb, and have yet to be disappointed. I used airbnb to book in two separate places in Rio for quarter final through the finals. Prices are far better than hotels, and some accommodations involve staying with locals, which for me in Brazil will be a plus. I try to stay at places that have a decent number of positive reviews, but there are definitely some gems that have not been booked just because they have yet to be reviewed. If you're the first one to stay there, you could get a great accommodation at a steal of a price. I've noticed that outside of Rio, airbnb is fairly new to Brazil so many properties have not been widely reviewed as of yet. If you're concerned as to whether the place is legitimate, there are a few things that you can do to protect yourself. Payment through airbnb is important, as if something goes wrong, there is a dispute settlement mechanism. My recommendation would be to get the exact address of your location early, and confirm that street pictures from google match those of the building posted on airbnb. You may also request additional information from the renter to confirm their identity (such as connecting on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) particularly if they have no reviews listed. Genuine renters will be interested in obtaining a first positive review, and should be happy to entertain these requests. Cheers, Scott
That's amazing that yours had a few reviews. From what I've seen, most don't have any reviews so you're lucky And I am also quite comfortable with airbnb's refund policies. It's the biggest reason I decided to go ahead and book even though the posting had no reviews.
I agree with the above positive comments about airbnb, and I also booked my own accommodations in Rio using airbnb. One note of caution, however: If the place doesn't turn out to be legit, you will be without a place to stay. While airbnb will refund your money, you will not necessarily have any alternative accomodation available. I second the suggestions above: a) check out the google street view pictures to verify the address, and b) establish a connection with the renter though facebook or other means, to verify their identity.
Hey Charles, I'm in the same boat as you. The only places that I could find in Rio io with three beds that weren't a fortune had no reviews. I'm taking a leap of faith. It's important to not to do the payment separately from airbnb (which would avoid extra fees) because airbnb will refund you if things go poorly. The owner of the apartment does not get paid until after you leave, even though your cc is already charged. Probably a good idea to stay I'm constant contact with the owner to get a feel if theyre not legit
Thanks for all the comments. Hopefully, all goes well for all of us! I agree that the best thing is to do our own due diligence to reduce the chances of getting scammed (contact the owner, verify their identity, look up the place on Google, etc).
I have also used airbnb in the past, and it worked out great. Like Scott Wright mentioned, do your homework. I am also skeptical about a lot of new places with zero reviews. However, you also have to remember that every place on airbnb started at zero at one time. There are a lot of people in Brasil who decided to put a place up just for the World Cup (to make some easy cash), and have no interest in becoming a regular airbnb provider.
I used airbnb to book my accomodations in Recife and Rio. Place i booked in Recife, has no reviews as yet: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2576616 Place in Rio has a couple good reviews:https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1320302 I used airbnb last May when I went to Amsterdam for the Europa League final, and I have nothing but good things to say about the website. A great option for accomodations.
I guess this is the main thing people should worry about when booking through airbnb - owners cancelling so you get your money back, but you have no place to stay: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...ners_cancelling-Fortaleza_State_of_Ceara.html
very frustrating when they have hidden fees... airbnb has amazing host or touts... theres no in between in my opinion..
If you want you can call the number on the listing and speak directly with them. I booked a place in Natal and that is what I did before paying with my paypal account backed by a credit card. That way I am still covered.
I've had one rental cancelled on me already, and had to scramble to rebook. We ended up with $50 credit and the owner/manager got dinged for cancelling me. BE VERY CAREFUL. The reason is this, many people renting out on airbnb in world cup have never done so before, and many are middle-men. In Brazil it's customary to revceive 50% up-front bank deposit, and the way airbnb does things is very different than the way things are done in Brazil...I really hope this will cause some positive change, but for some this takes some getting used to. In my case, my apt was cancelled in Salvador because the lady thought should would receive 50% up front and was getting nervous she hadn't received anything. She obviously didn't understand how airbnb works and it fell on me to educate her. On top of that, the owener of the apt (not her, she's a middle-man/agent/manager whatever) wanted more money then we had agreed on, and she straight asked me for more money after I booked!!! Totally against the spirit (and rules) of airbnb. She wouldn't even cancel my reservation...until airbnb forced her to....in the end it worked out, but I am renting from someone else, who seems nice, but has no reviews.... As a rule, I recommend giving preference to listings with some reviews (which hopefully are not shills), but if you must gamble, then go for a new listing...there are a lot! You may get a good deal. But do your homework.
I have used AirBnB all over the world. I contacted lots of people in Brasil. And a lot were agents. They are relatively easy to spot. They usually have their pictures attached to more than one listing. They use buzz-words eg hot-spot, and they are charging substantially more than individual listers. I decided not todeal with them at all, even though some of ther places looked really good. I have had a great experience with my Rio booking. I was able to negotiate the price down as I was staying fos six weeks. The owners have communicated with me on a weekly basis and have organised so many things on my behalf, bike rentals, car-hire, introductions to mates, airport pick-up etc etc etc. It's basically been like having a friendly tour guide in Brasil. For me this was so much a better way to go than hotel/hostel. I would definitely recommend, but as people have said, be aware. But that seems to be a common theme when traveling to South America.
I've just come across someone listing their apartment that I was interested in, so I messaged them asking if it was still available. They replied saying it was about 40% more expensive than the 'standard' price during the world cup (the ad for the apartment only listed the 'standard' price). Its still a pretty good deal though (much better than hotels anyway), so i'm still interested, but they only specified the 40% increase in a message, rather than as an 'official' price on the apartments listing. Is it risky dealing with someone like this? I am assuming that IF I booked this apartment, I'd have to ask them to change the price on airBNB, and NOT pay them the increased price externally.
I have used airbnb before and have booked places in Rio, Sao Paulo and Belo for the world cup and have had no problems thus far. Although I have had to pay more than the usual rate normally charged, any mark ups in price was done via the airbnb listing. I think that so long as the "40%" increase in price is done so through the actual listing and is on the final invoice you should have no problems. I wouldn't pay extra 40% externally though, this would seem a bit suss.